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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. root — the cause
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. drill — the tool
  7. present — there
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. present — the time now
  15. root — of a word
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rash — hasty
  20. drill — army training
  21. present — a gift
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rash — a series
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com